It’s true — beginning today, the EMU Microcomputing Lab will no longer offer free printing.
In an effort to curb skyrocketing paper costs caused by excessive waste, the lab has been forced to start charging 5 cents per page for printing. The decision has caused some dissatisfaction, however.
“It’s an inconvenience,” junior Stephanie Heater said. “We pay for so much else, I don’t think we need to pay 5 cents for a piece of paper.”
But lab officials contend it’s the only way to continue providing necessary student services. With paid printing, the hope is that students will limit what they print.
Until now, students could print as many pages as they wanted for free. But because of a decrease in funds received from the Educational Technology Fee, computing personnel had to look for money elsewhere.
EMU lab manager Amy McCoy said a committee of students, faculty and staff went to a quarterly meeting in the spring and asked for funding to supplement rising paper costs. But the committee was told they could not have the funding and that they must start charging students.
McCoy said she worries student voices are not being heard because some students on the committee have missed meetings.
The money from the Educational Technology Fee has gone to support other technology-based needs, such as dial-up connection fees that allow students to use the University’s server from their computers off campus. Money is also used to enhance Internet connections in the residence halls and to make “smart classes,” with technologically-enhanced learning.
Meanwhile, the Knight Library decided to lower its print fees from 10 cents to 7 cents per page to avoid a large difference in charges. The library started charging for printing in 1997 to reduce paper waste and cover staff fees.
“We were getting eaten alive by waste,” said Andrew Bonamici, associate University librarian for instructional services.
He said students would often print excessive amounts of material instead of simply opening a book. Of the material printed, Bonamici estimates that nearly half would end up in recycling bins.
McCoy said paper use in the EMU rises by approximately 50 percent each year. Of this, many pages printed are useless — for example, pages that only have an Internet address, McCoy said.
The Knight Library decided to switch over to Campus Cash as a form of print payment this year to help streamline students’ experiences, Bonamici said. Having the same system as the EMU computer lab will make the process more convenient and less confusing for students, he added.
To do this, students must have Campus Cash on their student ID cards to pay for the printing. When cards are swiped, the system automatically deducts their payments, making it possible to release print jobs. Students can put Campus Cash money on their cards at the UO Card Office, the EMU Ticket Office and other locations on campus.